On Gigi’s 18th birthday, Vanessa Bryant shared another tribute for her late daughter. Ever since agreeing on a new deal with Nike, Kobe Bryant, and Gigi’s birthdays have seen new launches to honor their legacy. In her Instagram story, Vanessa uploaded a post about the latest sneakers and used the song Butterfly by Mariah Carey. The Mambacita heavily features the elegant pattern of butterflies on the upper mesh.
Last week the 41-year-old shared nostalgic pictures of the two and penned a heart-wrenching message for her late husband, remembering their 23rd wedding anniversary. It is a special and emotional day for Vanessa. Her daughters also joined in to make her smile. She wrote “Happy Anniversary @kobebryant ❤️ #23.”
Vanessa uploaded a carousel of photos and wrote “❤️ MAMBACITA ❤️5/1/2006 ❤️GIGI❤️“ which signifies Gigi’s 18th birthday.
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The sneakers are a mix of black white and golden colorway, featuring the butterflies. Also, it consists of a golden swoosh alongside GIGI and 2 written on the heel. The heart-warming post had many friends and celebrities paying their respects. One of them was WWE superstar Natalya and she wrote “Wow!!!!!! Beautiful! ❤️”
Kobe Bryant’s legacy lives on
Last year Vanessa Bryant shared the names of colleges that will honor Kobe’s legacy by partnering up with the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. The University of Connecticut, the University of Southern California, the University of Oregon, Duke University, Louisiana State University, and the University of Kentucky participated in the “Mamba Program.”
She shared the announcement via her Instagram and wrote, “We are grateful for the amazing support of these prestigious universities (in no particular order) towards the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation – to further the legacies of Kobe and Gigi! So excited to see their players wearing Kobe and Gigi’s NIKE shoes this upcoming season!!!.” Many upcoming superstars have worn the shoe and kept Mamba’s legacy alive.
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Caitlin Clark wearing the "Mambacita" Kobe 6s on her potential record-breaking day 🐍
(via @NickDePaula) pic.twitter.com/fbugRGSL8h
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 11, 2024
Iowa Hawkeyes Caitlin Clark has been wearing Kobe shoes for a very long time. During her time at Iowa, she signed with Nike for the NIL deal. Her favorite shoe during the season was the Nike Kobe 5 Protro ‘Bruce Lee’ edition. The color also matched her Hawkeyes uniform. She also wore Nike Kobe 6 Protro Grinches.
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Now the number one draft pick has reportedly secured a record-breaking deal with Nike. The contract is worth $28 million for multiple years. Not just Caitlin Clark but other superstars from basketball and all other sports too shared Kobe’s legacy.
Earlier this year, the Bryant family came together to pay tribute to the legend with his 19-foot bronze statue next to the Crypto.com arena. It shows the Los Angeles Lakers legend in his iconic pose after his 81-point game in 2006. It’s clear that the Black Mamba’s legacy will live on.